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If you do not work in manufacturing, you may not know what a drive control system is, but Lyle Eveleigh knows. He is what is known in the field as a trouble shooter. Some even call him the “Drives Doctor,” because of his remarkable ability to solve the most intractable of problems in their drive control systems.

He got his foundation in the field beginning with his 8.5 years of service in the United States Army. He held various roles working with electronics, including training other servicemen, before he returned to civilian in 1967. Then he went to work for WER Industrial Corporation. He worked for them on and off during which time they were bought out by Emerson Electric Corporation. He left in 1980 to work for Crown Zellerbach as they were setting up a new plant and he settled in Orange, Texas.

He formed MNE Enterprises after his father passed away in 1984. The initials MNE stand for his father’s name, Malcolm Nathaniel Eveleigh. He started out developing custom small business accounting programs using personal computers, just as they were becoming affordable. Eventually, Emerson would have their customers send their repair work to him, so he set up a small shop and had one guy working for him full-time.

His business developed into a computer store, then two computer stores and a motor shop. He had 13 employees at one point in time. But he was spreading himself too thin, he still worked full-time for Crown Zellerbach, in addition to this burgeoning business.

Then prices for computers really began to drop, and large stores were able to get their computers on consignment and have them replaced by the manufacturer when newer models came out. It was a real challenge to keep pace with the changing market. He had to keep buying all the latest models to have on display, and then when the newer, better, cheaper models came out, it was impossible to get rid of the older models.

Around this time pre-packaged software programs started began to appear, so this ate into that part of his business, since his custom work was more costly than customers were willing to pay. On top of all that, the motor shop he had bought included several employees who needed supervision that he was unable to provide, along with all the other elements of his business that needed to be addressed.

He had to scale back, so he focused on what he knew best, the drives business. He still kept a few employees, for a while.

“The biggest problem is that it is a highly technical business. If you have contracts with the drives systems companies, they hire you because they know you, and they know your work,” Lyle says. “If the company begins to rely on your employees, they can easily go off on their own, once you have trained them.”

Because of the costs of training employees, and the time and energy involved, along with the risk of losing them after all that, he has scaled back to a one man operation.

“You have to be flexible and nimble,” he says, “and you can’t be dumb, dumb can lead to disaster.”

Have you heard of the “Love Economy?” It is a term coined by Hazel Henderson in her ground breaking work analyzing economic factors in her research to better equip her to speak with officials regarding concerns she had over the environment.

The “Love Economy” refers to work that is done, which holds economic value (i.e., someone would potentially be motivated to pay money for the product or service provided by the work) but which is in fact done out of mere love. I say “mere love” with all the irony attendant with that phrase intended.

Women are the predominant contributors to the “Love Economy” based on traditional gender roles, however, any time we assist and elderly friend or relative, any time we help a child, any time we share with a vulnerable friend or neighbor–or give freely, to anyone, for that matter, we participate in the “Love Economy.”

Adults who stay home and raise their children participate in the “Love Economy.” People who Home School their children are contributing to the “Love Economy,” as are folks who grow food and share it with their family, friends, and neighbors.

What examples can you think of the “Love Eonomy” at work in your world?

How are you keeping employees engaged and on board?

Culture and engagement issues rose sharply in prominence to become the No. 1 challenge identified in the Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends 2015 report. Nearly nine out of 10 (87 percent) of the 3,300+ business and HR leaders surveyed consider culture and engagement issues to be “important; 50 percent say they’re “very important” — double the results in 2014. While two-thirds (66 percent) of HR respondents say they’re working on the problem by updating their retention and engagement strategy, the remainder (34 percent) report their strategy is outdated or nonexistent.

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For years I believed that people in authority innately had more power than I did. They somehow “got” things that went right past me. They carried themselves as if they had been bestowed with the Divine Right to authority over others, or so it seemed, to me.

I struggled with self-confidence. I was riddled with self-doubt. I had very high standards for myself, and expectations no one would have ever imagined.

Life has dealt me some really severe blows. Betrayals as a child, bullying, heartbreak as a young adult, the death of a spouse and simultaneous dissolution of a career path I loved. I have had the metaphorical rug pulled out from under me and the ground beneath me open up seemingly ready to swallow me alive.

I am a survivor. But I long to be a thriver. I have had a lot of “stuff” to unpack as far as metaphysical baggage to learn how and why I am here, and what I am really made of. I am stronger than I ever imagined. I have endured what I considered unimaginable. I don’t have awards or medals or a pile of cash to show for it. I have a soul made of steel.

I know I can handle whatever life throws at me. This is a power that many of those in authority would not understand. I have seen the emperors new clothes, and I am unimpressed. I am more impressed with the folks who have endured similar struggles and heartaches to my own. We are legion. We are here as beacons to one another. We are more powerful than we have been led to believe.

Let’s unpack our greatness together. Please share with me some of the amazing things you have endured that no one would ever suspect of you. I would love to see your comments below, or to hear from you via e-mail at freedompowerjoy@gmail.com